I was also pleasantly surprised by the price. I think these are similar to existing ereaders, except that the reliability and support expectations are different

I was also pleasantly surprised by the price. I think these are similar to existing ereaders, except that the reliability and support expectations are different for Kobo. I've been watching as other companies have rolled out devices and none of the companies are as reliable as Kobo. There have been botched releases, delayed Kickstarters, etc. I would not hesitate to get one of these and not worry about warranty issues or other fly-by-night company problems. Kobo will stand behind these devices, and if there's a problem it will be easily refunded. I wasn't willing to risk $450 on a no-name company, but I'll happily plunk down half that (or less) for one of these devices!